Autumn Henningsen lives and breathes music. Just like her father, and his father before him, she has dreams to be a star.
But those dreams won't happen if she stays in Gullwitch Cove, LA, a small town with a population of about 1000. Nothing ever h...
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Harley
I swear, when she touched my arm, looking up at me with those wide, pleading, beautiful green eyes, I lost all sense of reason.
Which is why I'm locked in a closet with a music manager, looking at him in the dark.
"What is it?" I say, turning on my phone flashlight. It lights up the dark space with a faint white glow, making Luca seem more pale than normal. The smell of what I think is a bucket of garbage floats in the small space and I try hard not to gag.
"First off, why are we in a closet?" Luca's calm exterior begins to break, and I see him panic a little bit.
"Mr. Dupont, I'm sure you've realized that this isn't a fancy bar in Los Angeles. There aren't any separate rooms for smoking and cocktails here." I say, trying not to laugh as his brown eyes widen in the dark. He can't be much older than Autumn's sister, and yet he's as fidgety as a five-year-old.
"But a closet? Is this really-"
"There's a family room down the hall. We can talk there." Luca shoots me a glare, then stands, brushing off his suit with as much dignity as he can muster, and walks out of the closet, towards the family area. I laugh, following him.
Why families would bring their children to a bar is beyond me, but I follow him anyway. Sure enough, the family room is empty, and Luca and I take a seat at the front of the room.
"What is this about?" I ask him, and he pulls out a folded slip of paper from the massive pockets in his jacket. Handing it to me, he begins to look around the room. "She won't be joining us today," I say, and take the paper.
Unfolding it, I have to squint to read the tiny letters.
If you're reading this, you are one of one hundred people to be selected for the Songbird Music Contest, which means you're the best of the best when it comes to the teenage music scene.
Teenagers often find it hard to break out into the music world, but here, we believe we can help you with that. If you win, not only will you get recognition from several prestigious judges, but you'll get a contract with Amelie Jenkins' record label, and you'll get to open for our mystery judge on their world tour this summer.
By now, you've probably received a visit from one of our twenty representatives, showing you this exciting offer. You have exactly one week to make your decision. The competition will begin at the Boheme Theatre on October third. We want to see you there.
When you arrive, Amelie will explain the rules and procedures in order for this to go off smoothly.
We hope to see you there.
Sincerely, the office of Amelie Jenkins.
I fold the paper back up again and place it in my back pocket. Luca watches me, but I make my face as blank and unreadable as possible. He's right.
